Jaime Taylor and Zachary Loeb Collection on the Occupy Wall Street Library
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Dates
Creator
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Language of Materials
Abstract
Jaime Taylor and Zachary Loeb are librarians who were active in the Occupy Wall Street Library. The Jaime Taylor and Zachary Loeb Collection on the Occupy Wall Street Library (dated 1998-2014) consists of materials created and collected by Taylor and Loeb. The collection documents the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) encampment at Zuccotti Park in New York City; the creation, activities, and belongings of the OWS Library; the political activities of OWS and affiliated protests; and the library's eviction from the park by the New York Police Department (NYPD). Materials in this collection include ephemera, correspondence, administrative files, protest fliers, zines, and realia – some of which are directly related to the library's eviction by the NYPD in November 2011. The collection also includes a small amount of materials on librarianship, including an article and conference programs.
Biographical Note
Jaime Taylor is a librarian who was active in the Occupy Wall Street Library. Taylor has worked as a librarian in both the public and private spheres. Her professional interests include the racialized and gendered nature of librarianship; the rethinking of librarian education; flattening institutional structures beyond the norm; and library technology and management's intersections with neoliberal capitalism.
Biographical Note
Zachary Loeb is a librarian who was active in the Occupy Wall Street Library. Prior to earning his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, Loeb earned an MA from the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University; and an MSIS from the Information School at the University of Texas at Austin. He has worked for several libraries including the Center for Jewish History; the New York Public Library; and the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books, and Manuscripts.
Historical Note
The Occupy Wall Street (OWS) Library, also known as the People's Library, was founded in September 2011 by Occupy Wall Street protesters in Lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park and was led by librarian Betsy Fagin. Over time, the People's Library received books and resource donations from readers, private citizens, authors, and corporations. Musician Patti Smith also contributed a tent to the library, which was named Fort Patti in her honor, and was used as the library's primary structure until it was destroyed in November 2011.
On November 15, 2011, officers from the New York Police Department (NYPD) and employees from the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) forcibly evicted everyone in Zuccotti Park. Following a decision ordered by New York City officials and the Park's owners (Brookfield Office Properties), NYPD and DSNY employees loaded the library's approximately 5,500+ book collection into garbage trucks and moved them to a sanitation site. Although New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg, stated the library's collection was safely stored at the sanitation site and could be retrieved at a later date, library representatives later learned most of the library's collection and equipment had been destroyed, damaged, or lost.
In May 2012, the OWS Library sued Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, and Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty in federal court. In April 2013, the city was ordered to pay $366,700 to the People's Library for the raid.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into three series:
Series I: Administrative, Legal, and Conference Materials
Series II: Ephemera, Realia, and Protest Materials
Series III: Publications
Within each series, materials are listed in alphabetical order by format and then by title.
Scope and Contents
The Jaime Taylor and Zachary Loeb Collection on the Occupy Wall Street Library (dated 1998-2014) consists of materials created and collected by librarians Jaime Taylor and Zachary Loeb. The collection documents the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) encampment at Zuccotti Park in New York City; the creation, activities, and belongings of the OWS Library, also referred to as The People's Library; political activities of OWS and affiliated protests; and the library's eviction from the park by the New York Police Department (NYPD) on November 15, 2011, which lay the groundwork for the subsequent lawsuit against the city of New York.
Materials in this collection include administrative files, correspondence, and legal resources; ephemera and posters; protest materials; examples of library holdings and zines published by local artists; publications, both from within the OWS movement and outside; and realia including a broken laptop and cashbox, which are directly related to the library's eviction by the NYPD in November 2011. The collection also includes a small amount of materials on librarianship, including an article by Taylor and Loeb; and conference programs.
Subjects
Organizations
Topics
Places
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use materials in the collection in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Jaime Taylor and Zachary Loeb Collection on the Occupy Wall Street Library; TAM 775; box number; folder number or item identifier; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Jaime Taylor and Zachary Loeb in November 2018. The accession number associated with this gift is 2021.024.
Appraisal
On October 30, 2023, Curator for Tamiment Collections Shannon O'Neill and Head of Archival Collections Management Weatherly Stephan discussed the nature of the damaged electronics within this collection. Electronics in the collection include a Kindle, a laptop, and a radio receiver. This technology was used to serve the Occupy Wall Street Library, also known as the People's Library. All of the electronics and hardware presently in the collection sustained damage during the NYPD's raid and eviction of the People's Library on November 15th, 2011. As such, they are inoperable. Going forward, these items serve as artifactual evidence of the destruction of the Library. We will retain them for this purpose; however, the technology is not meant to be utilized and no data that may possibly exist on the technology is retrievable.
In March 2025, attempts were made to image two optical discs using FTK Imager, however, these attempts were unsuccessful and these discs were removed from the collection. One optical disc containing a video was imaged using IsoBuster, however due to the copyright nature of the video's content, this disc was removed from the collection. Copies of The Nation, International Socialist Review, Labor Notes, Time Magazine, Village Voice, am New York, The Catholic Worker, The Indypendent and Occupy! Gazette -- all of which are dated between 2011 and 2012 -- were removed from the collection due to online accessibility from the publisher's individual websites.
About this Guide
Processing Information
At the time of accessioning, materials were rehoused in archival boxes. Loose paper materials were rehoused in archival folders in their existing order. Born-digital items were identified and inventoried, but were not forensically imaged, analyzed, or described at this time. New York University Libraries follow professional standards and best practices when imaging, ingesting, and processing born-digital material in order to maintain the integrity of the content.
In March 2025, the collection was arranged and described by an archivist. Some materials were rehoused into new archival folders. Titles reflecting the contents of folders were created when not present. Related materials were grouped together both physically and intellectually. Oversized materials folded within legal folders were unfolded and rehoused into appropriately sized folders and flat boxes. After two copies of paper materials were kept, additional copies of materials were removed from the collection and returned to the donor.
A damaged encyclopedia and a torn Occupy Wall Street poster were sent to New York University's Barbara Goldsmith Preservation and Conservation Department for stabilization and rehousing.
Materials in the collection were described at the collection and series level; and inventoried at the file level.
Repository
Series I: Administrative, Legal, and Conference Materials, 2007-2014, inclusive; 2011-2012, bulk
Extent
Scope and Contents
Materials in this series consist of administrative files including library staff business cards and name tags; lists of International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs) for library holdings; Occupy Wall Street (OWS) Action Planning meeting minutes and notes; OWS project lists and proposals; and official documents related to OWS's general assembly. Legal resources in this series include "Know Your Rights" handouts; lists of accessible legal aid organizations; jail support and bail information; and blank worksheets for reporting police brutalities. The series also contains Jaime Taylor and Zachary Loeb's conference materials where they discussed the role of the People's Library, the materials the Library collected, and their experiences working at the Library. A small amount of correspondence and religious sermons can also be found in this series.
Administrative Files -- Business Cards of Library Staff Members, undated
Administrative Files -- The Community Agreement of Occupy Wall Street (Draft), 2011
Administrative Files --The Declaration of the Occupation of New York City by the NYC General Assembly, 2011
Administrative Files -- Handwritten Notes, 2011-2012, inclusive
Administrative Files -- International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs), 2011-2012, inclusive
Administrative Files -- Lawsuit and Settlement, 2011, 2014, inclusive
Administrative Files -- Library Staff Name Tags, 2011-2012, inclusive
Administrative Files -- Occupy Wall Street Accounting, undated
Administrative Files -- Occupy Wall Street Action Planning Meeting, 2012
Administrative Files -- Occupy Wall Street Library Notebook with Notes, 2011-2012, inclusive
Administrative Files -- Occupy Wall Street Project List: A Guide to Ongoing Occupy Actions and Activities Around NYC, 2012
Administrative Files -- Occupy Wall Street Structure Proposal, undated
Administrative Files -- Proposal to Restructure General Assembly, undated
Administrative Files -- What is Accountability in Occupy Wall Street?, undated
Administrative Files -- Working Group and Caucus Spokes Council Proposal, undated
Correspondence, 2011-2012, inclusive
Legal Resources -- Arrest Intake Form (National Lawyers Guild New York Chapter), undated
Legal Resources -- Dealing with Police and Police Misconduct Report, 2008
Legal Resources -- The Dissident's Survival Guide, undated
Legal Resources -- How to Document Your Injuries for Lawsuits and the Media, undated
Legal Resources -- "Know Your Rights!" Handouts, 2008
Legal Resources -- Legal Observer Guide, 2007
Legal Resources -- National Lawyers Guild NYC Chapter Mass Defense Committee, undated
Legal Resources -- Occupy Wall Street's Bail Fund, undated
Legal Resources -- Occupy Wall Street Jail Support Basics (for Manhattan), 2012, 2014, inclusive
Library Conference Materials -- American Library Association (ALA), 2012
Library Conference Materials -- How Class Works: A Conference at SUNY Stony Brook, 2012
Library Conference Materials -- New York Library Association (NYLA), 2012
Religious Sermons, 2011
Series II: Ephemera, Realia, and Protest Materials, 2011-2014, inclusive; 2011-2012, bulk
Extent
Scope and Contents
Materials in this series include ephemera such as stickers, fabric protest signs, buttons, and bookmarks; and posters related to the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement and May Day. The protest materials include fliers and informational handouts from OWS events; and affiliated events including May Day, Occupy National Gathering, and Occupy Guitarmy. Some protest materials are not directed at specific events, but rather focus on topics such as Black Lives Matter, student debt forgiveness, universal healthcare, the antiwar movement, and environmentalism. The realia included in this series consists of, but are not limited to: a broken cash box, laptop, books, and Kindle e-reader – all of which were used in the library and retained in the collection, despite their broken state, to document the destruction of the library by the NYPD in November 2011.
Ephemera -- Create, Not Hate CodePink.org Fabric Banner, 2011
Ephemera -- Fabric Occupy Wall Street Protest Signs, undated
Ephemera -- Labor Sign, undated
Ephemera -- Occupy Wall Street Buttons, undated
Ephemera -- Occupy Wall Street Library Bookmarks, 2012
Ephemera -- Occupy Wall Street Stickers, 2012
Ephemera -- Occupy Wall Street Yellow Police Tape, 2012
Event Flyers, 2011-2012, 2014, inclusive
Poster -- Journal of Radical Shimming, 99% + 1% = 100%, undated
Poster -- May Day, 2012-2013, inclusive
Poster -- Trump, What an Ass, undated
Protest Materials -- Antiwar, 2013
Protest Materials -- Black Lives Matter, 2012, 2014, inclusive
Protest Materials -- The Body Autonomy and Liberation Ride (Reproductive Rights), undated
Protest Materials -- Boots on the Ground, undated
Protest Materials -- Cooper Union, 2012-2013, inclusive
Protest Materials -- D17, 2011-2012, inclusive
Protest Materials -- Fracking and Pipelines, 2011-2012, inclusive
Protest Materials -- Free Palestine, undated
Protest Materials -- Free Pussy Riot!, undated
Protest Materials -- Free University and Education Access, 2011-2012, inclusive
Protest Materials -- Guerilla Librarianship, 2012
Protest Materials -- Healthcare for All, undated
Protest Materials -- Hurricane Sandy Aid, undated
Protest Materials -- Immigration, undated
Protest Materials -- Marijuana Possession, undated
Protest Materials -- May Day, 2012-2013, inclusive
Protest Materials -- Occupy Central Park, 2011
Protest Materials -- Occupy Guitarmy, 2012
Protest Materials -- Occupy the Justice Department, 2012
Protest Materials -- Occupy National Gathering (Philadelphia, PA), 2012
Protest Materials -- Occupy Wall Street, 2011-2012, inclusive
Protest Materials -- Occupy Wall Street, ACT UP, and AIDS, 2012
Protest Materials -- Occupy Wall Street Summer Disobedience School, 2012
Protest Materials -- People's Climate March, 2014
Protest Materials -- Prison Reform, 2013
Protest Materials -- Quebec Student Strikes, 2012
Protest Materials -- S17, 2012
Protest Materials -- Socialism, 2011
Protest Materials -- Skin Ride, undated
Protest Materials -- Student Loan Debt, 2012
Protest Materials -- Unions, 2012-2013, inclusive
Protest Materials -- Women in Black, undated
Protest Materials -- Women Occupying Wall Street, undated
Protest Materials -- Zero-Fare MTA, 2011-2012, inclusive
Realia -- Broken Cash Box, undated
Realia -- Harmonica, undated
Realia -- Kindle, undated
Realia -- Laptop, undated
Realia -- Light Stick, undated
Realia -- Radio Receiver, undated
Realia -- Toy NYPD Sign, undated
Realia -- Whistle, undated
Series III: Publications, 1998-2014, inclusive; 2011-2012, bulk
Extent
Scope and Contents
Materials in this series represent publications held by the library, which include publications produced within the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movements and outside of it. Materials printed by the OWS movement include the Occupied Wall Street Journal, Occupied Washington Post, and Strike Occupy. Materials published outside the OWS movement include a French language newspaper and Arabic language newspaper; radical publications including Fighting for Our Lives: An Anarchist Primer; and Challenge: The Revolutionary Communist Newspapers of Progressive Labor Party; zines published by local artists including Workin' on It! People of Color Experience Occupy Wall Street, Occupied Zuccotti: Social Struggle, and Planned Shrinkage; poetry written by local poet Bob Quinn; and a damaged encyclopedia and worn copy of the Charles Dickens novel Hard Times. An article about librarianship and the OWS Library written by Taylor and Loeb is also included in this series.
